The National Conductive Education (CE) Awareness Week 2018 ran from 12 – 18th March with this year's theme “How far will you go for conductive education.”

And Rainbow House, Mawdesley celebrated the week with a series of events where the children and young adults who attend conductive education at the centre took on challenges involving moving independently and being measured on the distance each individual achieved.

The aim of CE Awareness Week is to increase understanding of conductive education and its benefits to children and young adults with neurological conditions that affect muscle control, ability and learning, due to previous trauma or illness. Parents of children attending conductive education at Rainbow House, who had been given little hope by medical teams, have found that the sessions not only change the lives of their children but also the lives of the whole family.

One parent, Katie Decieco, whose daughter Heidi-Lou (pictured) attends conduction education, told QLocal: "Heidi-Lou loves Rainbow House!

"When she first started she could be quite challenging but I have notably seen improvement both physically and intellectually.

"Conductive education is now part of Heidi-Lou's daily routine, not only at Rainbow House but in school too, and she continues to make progress. Rainbow house has been a lifeline, not only for Heidi-Lou, but for me too. Travelling there each week is worth every minute and we’d go twice as far if needed.”

Rainbow House conductive education offers rehabilitation, education and fun for children, young people and adults with neurological conditions such a cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke, MS and genetic condition. Conductive education retrains the brain to by-pass damaged areas and find new pathways and the charity aims to ensure that all who use their services are helped to develop to their full potential and they become a centre of excellence for conductive education and other supporting therapies such as Physiotherapy, Rebound Therapy,
Speech & Language Therapies.